Democratic White House hopeful Beto O’Rourke responded to President Trump Wednesday morning after the president told him to “be quiet” in the wake of the deadly El Paso, Texas, mass shooting.
“22 people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will I,” O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, tweeted.
The response comes hours after O’Rourke and Trump traded barbs.{mosads}
“Beto (phony name to indicate Hispanic heritage) O’Rourke, who is embarrassed by my last visit to the Great State of Texas, where I trounced him, and is now even more embarrassed by polling at 1% in the Democrat Primary, should respect the victims & law enforcement – & be quiet!” Trump tweeted early Wednesday.
O’Rourke announced on Tuesday evening that he would be attending a Wednesday event to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting and counter Trump’s visit to the city.
“When President Trump comes to El Paso tomorrow, I will be joining our strong, beautiful, binational community at #ElPasoStrong. I hope to see you there,” the El Paso native tweeted.
O’Rourke also said Trump’s rhetoric contributed to the shooting, joining Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) in saying the president is not welcome in the area.
The suspected El Paso shooter allegedly wrote a white nationalist manifesto ahead of his attack near the U.S.-Mexico border.